No Harm Done
by kate657
Summary: Summer has finally arrived. The six friends are all returning home and some are not alone.
1. Chapter 1

Title: **No Harm Done**

Author: Katy

Rating: T

Disclaimer: All characters from _One Tree Hill_ are property of Mark Schwahn at Tollins/Robbins Productions and Warner Bros. Television Production Inc. All stories, original plotlines and characters are property of their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.

Primary pairing: Nathan/Haley

Summary: Summer has finally arrived. The six friends, now in college and university, are all returning home and some are not alone.

Author's Note: This is a sequel to _Do No Harm_.

**Chapter 1**

"_Every time I turn around, you're with Jake," Lucas began angrily, not caring that his girlfriend's eyes were beginning to water. "He's everywhere; the team, my mom's café and now he's in my girlfriend's bedroom."_

"_And if he's in my room, then of course I must be sleeping with him!" Peyton finished hotly. _

_Brooke was walking down the hall when Peyton pointed to her. "Hey, Brooke's been in my room lots of times. How come you've never accused me of sleeping with her?" _

_Lucas rolled his eyes. "This is pointless," he said as he finally looked her in the eyes._

"_If you give me a chance, I can explain everything," Peyton told him calmly, though the look in her eyes was growing more desperate as she threw Jake an apologetic look. _

"_Nope," Lucas said. "Don't bother because I don't think you could." _

"_You think you have it all figured out, don't you?" she asked.  
_

"_I don't want to talk anymore," Lucas said resolutely. _

"_No, all you want to do is accuse," Peyton retorted. When she realized that she had hit it dead on, she shrugged defeated. "Then I guess we really are over." _

It was still hard to believe that her two-year relationship with long-time crush and love, Lucas Scott was over as Peyton pushed open the door to his mother's café on a warm summer day, but their relationship had ended over a year ago when they were seniors in high school.

Though once her best friend's boyfriend, Jake Jagielski had also been her friend since middle school and they often hung out together and depended on one another through tough times. That was the reason why she had been spending so much time with Jake- she was helping him deal with a huge problem.

Jake and Brooke Davis had broken up during the end of junior year when they finally realized they were no longer suited for each other and that they never really were so both had decided it was time to move on.

Last Peyton had heard of Brooke since graduation, the peppy brunette had gone to USC and there she had met and fallen in love with a guy that she was bringing back with her for the summer so they could all meet him.

Jake had gotten involved with a girl named Nikki Rowland during senior year and for a while the two of them seemed to have hit it off until she had turned up pregnant after only two months. After a major freak out, Peyton had helped him see that he could handle everything and he had decided with Nikki that they would raise their child together. But nine months later, Nikki went in to labour and as soon as she could, she skipped town, leaving Jake to be a single parent for their child.

That pregnancy had not only scared the hell out of Nikki, but it had also managed to destroy Peyton's relationship with Lucas because she could not tell Lucas about it due to a promise she made to Jake and Nikki.

And Lucas took a scholarship to UNC and made plans to move to Raleigh when he thought Peyton was cheating on him with Jake so Peyton had accepted a scholarship to the Savannah Art Institute. The two went their separate ways and though she would never admit it to him, Peyton spent her entire freshman year missing him and was really looking forward to seeing him again.

That day was going to be this day. The day that the six friends had all marked on their calendars or cell phone organizers as the day they would all meet at Karen's Café fresh from their first years of college and catch up with each other.

"Peyton, man, I am so glad someone finally showed up," a familiar voice said, her voice full of excitement. 

Haley James took the breaks off her wheelchair and wheeled a few feet over to where Peyton had chosen to sit down. "I've been here for almost three hours!" she exclaimed.

Peyton looked at her watch. "It's only ten o'clock now, Hales. Why did you come two hours early?" she asked as she stood and bent down to hug her friend hello.

Haley sighed. "I figured some of you would show up early too and so we could hang out until everyone else showed up," she answered sarcastically.

Peyton chuckled as she stared at Haley in amusement. "You thought people from our group would come here early? Oh, Haley, you are still so naïve," Peyton said.

Haley rolled her eyes. "Anthony starts work at eight in the morning and told me that either I leave with him then or find my own way here. The second is impossible given," she paused to look down at the chair she was in due to her paralysis, "Well, given the obvious." 

"You're staying at your old house?" Peyton asked. "I thought your dad sold the place and retired to Florida."

"Oh, he did and Zach and Taylor went to Miami with him but Anthony stuck around and bought an apartment," Haley replied.

"He lives by himself? That must suck," Peyton said. 

"No, he and Pam are finally engaged and living together in a three-bedroom apartment about five minutes from here," Haley explained.

Peyton's eyes widened. "The chick finally gave up her job and moved here? I don't believe it," she said.

"Me neither until I saw it for myself on my dad's birthday in February," Haley replied.

"How is Stanford?" Peyton asked.

Haley's face darkened into an expression of what best could be described as frustrated anger. "Awful, just awful!" she burst out.

Peyton looked at her. "What?" she asked. 

"I hate that place so much, I can't even put it into words," she replied.

"I thought Stanford was your dream college," Peyton said.

Haley snorted. "The funny thing about dreams is that they're just that- dreams. Not a lick of reality in them and let me tell you, the reality of Stanford is enough to make me want to put a bag over my head so I don't have to see the damn place," she said, on the verge of a full-blown tirade.

"Wow," Peyton mused, "you really missed Nathan, huh?"

She smiled dreamily at the mention of her boyfriend. "Hell, yes, I did and I swear that I am transferring."

"You are?" Peyton asked.

"The arrangements have already been made and when my student advisor tried to talk me into waiting until I came back this fall before I made such a hasty decision, I told _him_ that if I wait that long, I'd set fire to the campus."

Peyton was busy laughing her head off when Brooke entered the café with her boyfriend and from the looks of him; Peyton could understand what attracted her friend. "Surprise, everyone, I'm back!" she announced happily.

"Hey, Brooke," Haley said, pulling the brunette down for a hug.

Brooke stared at Peyton giggling uncontrollably and then looked at Haley. "What's her deal?"

"Haley just told me about a meeting with her student advisor about transferring where she went ballistic on the dude when he tried to talk her into putting the decision off," Peyton replied, getting up to hug Brooke.

"You're transferring schools?" Brooke asked.

"Yes, and it cannot happen fast enough," Haley replied.

"Who's your _friend_, Brooke?" Peyton asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively which got a laugh out of Mr. Beautiful.

"Real subtle, Peyton," Brooke shook her head and let her boyfriend step forward. "This is Chase Adams."

"Hey, nice to meet you, I'm Haley," Haley said as she extended her hand to him.

"Likewise," he said.

"I'm Peyton," Peyton said, shaking his hand quickly.

"So which school are you transferring to, if you don't mind me asking?" Chase asked as he and Brooke settled down together on the couch next to Peyton.

"Duke University," Haley replied.

Brooke gasped. "Does Nathan know?"

"Not yet and don't you dare tell him," Haley replied through gritted teeth.

"I would never," Brooke mocked, putting her hand up as a signal to her oath.

"You haven't talked to him about this?" Peyton asked.

"I haven't actually talked to him all year," Haley replied.

"Why is that?" Brooke asked.

"They agreed that talking to each other over the phone would only make them miss each other more so they wrote letters instead," Peyton replied.

"I miss the sound of his voice," Haley whimpered after Peyton was finished explaining the story of their long distance relationship.

"Aww, that's so cute, and Nathan is going to lose his mind when he finds out you're transferring to Duke," Brooke said.

"Who's transferring to Duke?" Lucas Scott asked as he practically materialized behind Chase, looking at his best friend and Brooke curiously.

After glaring angrily at Brooke for what seemed to be an eternity, Haley finally soothed her friend's burning curiosity. "I am."

"I thought you were on a scholarship to Stanford," Lucas said. 

"I am," Haley said slowly, knowing what was coming.

Lucas stared at her. "Are you telling me you're going to pass up a full scholarship to an Ivy League college so you can be closer to my brother?" His voice couldn't be filled with more disappointment.

"No," Haley said, shaking her head. "I already did that."

"Haley, what were you thinking?" Lucas asked. 

"Well, I was thinking that I missed North Carolina," Haley said. 

"But it was a full ride!" Lucas exclaimed. "Nathan will be so pissed when he finds out you did that just to be closer to him."

"Oh, please, who do you think I am, some lovesick girl with no mind of her own?" Haley demanded, her nostrils flaring in annoyance. "I did not transfer just because of Nathan. He factored into my decision but the main reason I decided to do it was because I was unhappy."

"I still think you made a hasty decision," Lucas said. 

"There was nothing hasty about it," Haley countered. "Besides, I was able to get accepted to Duke on a pretty good scholarship. It's not a full ride but it's the next best thing."

"And how much does the next best thing cover?" Lucas asked. 

"All of my tuition, residency, and ninety-five percent of everything else," Haley replied. 

Chase looked impressed at the news. "That's better than the scholarship I was offered when I went to USC," he said.

"Meaning you didn't accept it?" Haley asked, perplexed.

"Oh, no, I don't need a scholarship," Chase replied.

"His parents are rich," Brooke added.

"Oh, that explains it," Peyton said, smirking a little when she saw Brooke's face scrunch up into an annoyed expression at what she thought she was implying. "I meant why he didn't accept the scholarship."

"Good," Brooke said.

The door of the café swung open and a tall, well-proportioned redhead with dark black sunglasses on her head walked in.

Rachel Gatina reached up to remove her sunglasses to reveal hazel eyes that were now looking over the bunch of friends, noticing every one of their flaws, and the café itself. 

She smiled at the one she knew infectiously and squealed, "Baby, it's absolutely adorable. I love the old-world vibe it gives you."

Of all of them, the most unexpected of the five friends, Lucas Scott stepped forward and put his arm around her. "I knew you would like it," he said.

Peyton felt like a knife had been plunged deep into her heart, taken out and repeatedly shoved back in until there was nothing left to break.

Finally, the one who had the guts to finally asked the obvious question. "Who's this, Luke?" Haley inquired, looking the girl over.

Rachel finally found the voice full of disdain when asking who she was and scoffed at the realization that she was in a wheelchair. "Who are you?" she asked, already not liking the freak.

"Rach, this is my best friend, Haley. I told you about her," Lucas replied, answering only Rachel's question.

"You never said she was a cripple," Rachel said, her nostrils flaring with disgust towards Haley.

Haley intentionally wheeled forward. "Excuse me?" she demanded angrily.

Lucas stepped in between the two while Brooke came over and held the handlebars of Haley's wheelchair, stopping her advance on Rachel.

"I didn't think it mattered," Lucas said.

"Does it?" Haley asked.

Lucas looked at her in offence. "Of course not, Haley, you know that I love you," he said.

"I was talking to your girlfriend," Haley spat. She had already guessed the answer, even though he had not answered her question or ignored it.

Peyton winced at the word. Her face paled and she could feel tears threatening to spill out of her eyes. "Um, I'll be right back," she said, not bothering to wait for anyone to acknowledge or hearing Brooke calling her back to them in a sympathetic voice.

"Well, what's your answer?" Haley asked.

"Of course it doesn't matter to me. I was just caught off guard," Rachel replied quickly.

Haley rolled her eyes. "What is that supposed to mean? Am I some sort of eye sore that you need to prepare yourself for?"

Brooke smirked in amusement at her friend's clever retort. It made her think to the days that it had been her on the receiving end of Haley's anger. The girl was so quick in coming up with responses that Brooke had always lost arguments because she couldn't keep up with her.

"Hales, simmer down," Lucas said. 

Now her anger hit another level as she turned her gaze to her best friend. "I will not calm down until Rachel here explains to me how my being in a wheelchair is something she needs to adjust to and if you know what's good for you, you'll stay out of it, Luke, unless you want to stop speaking for another three years," she said.

"I've never met someone in a wheelchair before. It is new to me. That's all that I meant," Rachel explained quickly.

Too quickly in Haley's opinion and she looked at the girl disbelievingly. "Right," she said, wheeling away from the group and heading in the direction of the girls' bathroom.

"Where are you going?" Lucas called after her.

Stopping, she turned her head so she could see him, hoping her face was clear of all anger. "To the bathroom if you don't mind," Haley replied.

When she reached, the door, she pushed it open and wheeled in, not surprised to find Peyton sitting on the counter, leaning against the wall. Her knees were up and her head was resting on them while her body shook in rhythm to her crying.

"You know what would be great," Haley said as she wheeled as close to her friend as she could. 

All she got was a small shrug from the still crying girl. 

"If in exchange for the loss of my legs, I was given the gift of telekinesis," she said.

"What?" Peyton asked, raising her tearstained face with a look of utter confusion in her eyes.

"It'd be amazing if I could send people like Rachel flying across the room with just a simple squint of my eyes," Haley said, smirking at the thought of it.

Peyton chuckled at her friend. "Mission accomplished," she said.

"What's that?" Haley asked. 

"You came in here to cheer me up," Peyton replied. 

Haley looked at her in confusion. "Why do you need cheering up?"

"Because of Lucas and Rachel," Peyton replied.

"What about them?" Haley asked. 

"They're together," she replied, stating the obvious, a little offended that Haley seemed oblivious to her feelings.

"What do you care about that for?" Haley asked. 

"Because I still…" Peyton stared to explain but seemed to have thought better of it.

Unfortunately for her, Haley had a quick mind and latched onto this information. "You still love him," she finished for her.

Forgetting about her pride, she nodded sadly. "Yeah."

"Now my mission is accomplished," Haley said with a firm nod.

"What?" Peyton asked.

"For you to finally admit that you still love him. I've been working on that one for that past year," Haley replied, yawning and stretching her arms out. "You need to open up more often. Keeping everything bottled up is not healthy."

"Look who's talking," Peyton snorted.

"What have I kept bottled up?" Haley asked. 

"Um, your feelings for Nathan," Peyton replied. 

Haley smiled in spite of herself. "Besides that," she said in annoyance.

"Your feelings about Stanford," Peyton said. 

"I expressed that opinion very loudly," Haley said defensively.

"Not to any of us," Peyton replied.

Knowing she was beat, she looked around the room. "You okay now?" she changed the subject.

Peyton shrugged. "He's with someone else now," she said.

"And could he have picked any worse than her?" Haley asked.

"You've known her for like two minutes, Haley. You can't already have formed an opinion of her, let alone a negative one," Peyton replied. 

Haley stared at her. "Do you know me at all?" she asked.

Peyton laughed. "I'm serious," she said.

"I can form a bad opinion if the first thing she says is that he never told her I was a cripple," Haley said.

Peyton's jaw dropped. "She said that?"

"Oh, yeah," Haley replied.

"Well, if I didn't like her before, I hate her now," Peyton said.

"Please. You hate her just because she's his girlfriend," Haley said.

"And she'll probably hate me when she finds out I'm his ex," Peyton retorted. 

"I would hate you if you were Nathan's ex," Haley said.

"Uh, no thank you," Peyton said, shrivelling her nose in disgust at the notion of being one of Nathan's previous bimbos.

"That's my boyfriend," Haley said, looking ready to smack her.

"And he's been my friend forever, Hales. It'd be like you dating Lucas," she replied.

Haley shivered. "Now there's a scary thought."

"Thanks, Haley," Peyton said not really knowing what she was thanking her for specifically.

"No problem," Haley said.

Peyton hopped off the counter and splashed some water over her face, drying it with a fresh piece of paper towel. "Let's get out there," she said. 

Peyton held the door open while Haley wheeled through.

"Is that a baby crying?" Haley asked.

Peyton's eyes lit up in excitement when she heard the small infant cries. "Jake's back," she realized.

Haley stared at her. "How do you know?" she asked. 

Peyton grabbed her handles and started pushing her down the hall to the main part of the café. "You don't want to miss this," she said.

Sure enough, Jake Jagielski was sitting down at the table with the others but there was a baby cradle on the table.

"Oh, my God," Haley said, starting to catch on.

"Yeah, Jake has a baby girl," Peyton whispered in her ear as they finally reached the table.

"Hey, Jake, who's the beauty?" Haley asked, looking at his daughter.

Jake looked at Peyton in annoyance. "You told them?" he asked.

"Not everyone, just Haley and only just now," Peyton replied, walking over to cradle and peering at the baby. "Hey there, Jenny!" The baby's entire face lit up upon seeing Peyton.

"So, Brooke got a new boyfriend, Peyton got a job offer at THUD Magazine for a weekly strip, Lucas got a new girlfriend, I got annoyed to hell but you, Jagielski, had a baby," Haley began dramatically.

"Jenny was born right after senior year," Jake said.

"Oh, why didn't we know about her then?" Haley asked. 

"Because you were gone," Peyton replied.

"And I didn't want you to know," Jake added.

"Why not?" Brooke asked. 

"I was still dealing," Jake said, offering her some comfort.

"But Peyton knew," Haley pointed out and Jake glared at her for shattering his act of kindness.

"I had my reasons," Jake snapped.

"Dude, I was only kidding," Haley said, raising her hands in defeat. "By the way, you're daughter is gorgeous and it's nice to see you again."

Jake leaned down to hug her hello. "It's good to see you too, Haley."

The door to the café opened and Nathan Scott walked in, searching the crowd of people for his girlfriend's wheelchair, not finding it. "Hales?" he finally called out to the crowd. 

Haley's face lit up at the voice that called her nickname.

"Nathan's here," Peyton announced, pointing to the counter near the entrance of the café.

Haley was already hurriedly wheeling over to her boyfriend, not realizing that her path was a bit askew- she hit the counter with a thundering crash, smashing her left foot in the process.

"God damn it, that hurt!" she exclaimed in a pained voice.

Nathan was at her side in an instant. He knelt down beside her wheelchair and began to check her foot by taking her shoe off as her face twisted into a pained expression. 

His face lit up and he stared at her incredibly. "Haley."

Haley looked at him curiously and that's when what happened finally occurred to her. "Oh, my god, that actually hurt," she exclaimed happily.

Her left ankle was throbbing and it was the best feeling in the world to her because she was actually feeling it.


	2. Chapter 2

_Thanks to -DukeForever-, HJS-NS-23, LaFilmeMichelle, glassy waltz, I Can Hear the Sea, xlovetreehillx, SLUVER15, LeytonTilEnd, Amelie31 and Emily Carol for reviewing. __I think I should let you guy know that this is completely made-up. I don't know if it's medically possible for someone to regain feeling in their legs as stated in the story. I'm just trying to make things sound relatively realistic and convincing. Katy_

* * *

**Chapter Two**

"_I'm sorry but do you mind repeating that last part?" Haley James demanded of the doctor that had been called in on a consult by Doctor Anderson, who was the attending physician in the ER of Tree Hill Hospital._

_Doctor Theodore Cutler was a surgeon that specialized in spinal injuries. He was an older man, at least twice the age of Anderson. The remainder of what was probably a full head of floppy black hair had started to thin and the tips were now flecked with grey._

_Cutler held a CAT scan of Haley's spine in his hand. For a small town, Tree Hill was surprisingly well equipped for medical emergencies. "It seems that there was a critical error in your diagnosis, Miss James," he replied in a monotone without even looking at her._

"_Are you saying you made a mistake?" Her older brother, Anthony James demanded._

"_Of course not me," Cutler replied quickly. He was obviously offended y the implication that he had made a mistake. "But someone did." _

"_What was the mistake?" Haley asked impatiently._

"_Well, it says in your file that your spinal cord was severed in a car accident," Cutler said slowly._

"_I was hit by a car on my way to school one morning about two years ago," she confirmed, annoyed that she was confined to the stupid bed. She'd much rather be in the wheelchair because then she could run into the guy's foot; pain would inspire him to hurry the hell up with whatever he was trying to tell her._

"_I'm looking at your CAT scan and it shows that your spinal cord is intact," he said simply._

"_What does that mean?" Anthony asked for his sister, who was now frozen in place, an expression of disbelief plastered all over her face._

_Doctor Anderson came over and looked at her gently. "It means that your spinal cord was damaged, but not severed," he replied. _

"_The spine was bruised and severely swollen from the accident," Cutler said._

"_And what, now the swelling's coming down?" Anthony asked._

"_Yes, little by little, the swelling around your spine is going down," Cutler replied, looking at Haley. "That's why you can only fell your ankles right now."_

_Haley stared at him. "Does that mean I might regain total feeling?" _

"_Possibly," he replied, shrugging. "I really can't answer that until after the exploratory surgery."_

"_Surgery?" Anthony repeated._

"_Well, surgery is necessary if you want to know the extent of the damage and then we'd go in again to try to repair it." _

"_Are there any risks?" Haley asked. _

"_Death is a possibility," Anderson replied._

"_You sure don't waste any time, Doc," Anthony remarked. "Just jump in with the big ones." _

"_It's possible you could come out worse than you already are," Cutler said. "Instead of a parapalegic, you could become a quadriplegic."_

"_Is there an alternative treatment- one that's less invasive?" Haley asked._

"_We could put you on steroids and hope that works," Anderson replied. _

"_But that could take another year," Cutler said, glaring at Anderson. "I recommend the surgery." _

"_Said the surgeon," Anthony remarked angrily._

"_What do you want to do, Haley?" Anderson asked._

"What did you decide?" Nathan asked his girlfriend the next day.

Haley had gotten home from the hospital late the night before and left a message on his machine, telling him how her appointment had gone.

"Well, if the surgery works, I'd be on crutches for a while but then I'd be able to walk normally," she started to explain.

"So you're going to go ahead with the surgery?" he asked.

"It's scheduled for next month," she replied with a nod.

"Why so long?" Nathan asked.

"Doctor Anderson said it'd give me a chance to think it over," she replied and held up a bottle of pills to show him.

"Steroids, Hales?" He looked at the bottle. "You don't even play sports."

Haley smirked. "They're to help stop the swelling," she replied.

"But you're going in for exploratory surgery on Saturday anyways, right?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah, they need to see what's going on," she replied.

"How long will you be in the hospital?" he asked.

"I'll probably be released from the hospital on Tuesday," she replied.

"My sister's been living with the knowledge that she'd never walk again for two years because of their _oversight_- there is no way we're settling for anything less than eight thousand!" Anthony shouted into the phone in the living room.

Nathan looked slightly amused and startled when he turned to look at her questioningly. "What's that about?"

"We're suing the doctors that screwed up my diagnosis," Haley replied.

Nathan nodded. "Understandable but what do you need the money for?"

"College expenses," she replied simply.

"But you're on a full scholarship at Stanford," he said, looking very confused.

Haley's eyes went wide with realization. "Oh, my God, I didn't tell you, did I?"

"Tell me what?" he asked, shrugging.

"I dropped out of Stanford," she began.

Nathan shot up on his feet and glared at her. "You dropped out of school!"

"Well, yeah, but-" she started to explain.

"And you're only telling me now!" He looked so hurt. "Why would you do something so reckless?"

"I wasn't-" Haley said but was once again cut off.

"I can't believe you of all people would do something so damaging to their future." He started pacing back and forth. "Your future employers are going to hold that against you in interviews- they'll think you're unstable. And when you go back- and you will because you're you- you'll have twice the workload."

"Nathan," Haley said, biting back her laughter.

"Did that season of _Gilmore Girls_ you forced me to watch with you teach you nothing?" he asked.

"When Alexis Bledel's character went back to Yale, she not only had to go to counselling, she had to squish four semesters into three," Nathan continued.

"And cut!" Hale clapped her hands together as if she were a director.

"This is not funny," Nathan snapped, aware of her giggling now.

"I did not drop out of school!" she exclaimed.

He stopped pacing and looked at her. "You said you dropped out of Stanford."

"And I did, but-" she said.

"Then what would you call that?" he asked.

"Well, if you'd let me finish a sentence!" Haley burst out.

"All right," He said, sitting down as if he were bracing himself for bad news.

"I'm transferring to Duke next year," she replied.

He looked at her disbelief. "Why?" he asked.

"Well, there's a great teaching program there and I wasn't happy being all alone in California," she replied. He started to say something but she covered his mouth with a finger. "There's also this hot basketball player that I happen to love and hate to be away from."

"Anyone I know?" he asked, smirking now.

She regarded him closely. "Yeah, you kinda look like him a little," she replied.

He kissed her. "I love you too, Haley."

"So she is having surgery?" Lucas asked when his brother walked through the side door to his bedroom at his mother's house a few days later.

"She's having two surgeries," Nathan replied.

"Luke, your mom just called," Rachel announced as she opened the bedroom door and walked inside in one of Lucas' shirts.

Nathan stared open-mouthed at his brother's new girlfriend. "What is she doing here?" he asked stupidly.

"My mom's out of town and Rach isn't from Tree Hill so she has nowhere to stay-" Lucas started to explain.

"So we thought that I'd stay here until she came back," Rachel finished for him, putting on a pair of jeans and buttoning up the oversized shirt all the way.

"I told you that, didn't I?" Lucas asked.

"I'm going to shower. You boys have fun," Rachel said, exiting the room quickly.

"Yes, you did but I was wondering what she was doing in your room dressed like that," Nathan said.

"I think you know the answer to that, question, little brother," Lucas replied, rolling his eyes.

"I also thought you knew your mother's rules," Nathan shot back.

"She's not here and what she doesn't know won't get me in trouble," Lucas shrugged simply.

"I think you're taking the whole independence thing too far," Nathan remarked, sitting at his brother's desk chair.

"So will you please tell me what's going on with Hales?" Lucas asked.

Nathan looked at him. "She's having exploratory surgery tomorrow," he replied.

"And then is she going to have the other surgery afterwards?"

"It's scheduled for a month from now so she has time to really make up her mind," Nathan said.

"You sound as if you don't want her to have the surgery," Lucas commented, looking at him curiously for an explanation.

"Anthony is a worried about her having the surgery. He told me some of the risks and let's just say they're not very encouraging," Nathan replied.

"Haley told me that there's a possibility she could be worse or die," Lucas said, nodding in understanding of her brother's concerns. "Where do you stand on things?"

Nathan fiddled with one of his brother's notebooks that he used to write his novels in. "I don't know, man," he confessed. "I mean, obviously, I'm happy that she's regaining some feeling and if after tomorrow's surgery, it looks like the damage is fully repairable, she'll be able to walk again and that'll be amazing."

"But you don't want to lose her," Lucas realized.

"I just want her to think it through," Nathan said.

"It's Haley, Nathan, she thinks things through with lists and all that," Lucas joked.

"But she's also been confined to that wheelchair for a short time and she was miserable at first," Nathan pointed out.

"She got over that," Lucas reminded him.

"Because she knew that nothing could be done," he said.

"At least she has the drugs to see how fast they work while she makes her final decision," Lucas said.

"I think she's going to have the surgery even if they do work fast," Nathan said.

"That's not necessarily a bad thing," Lucas interjected. "She could be fine."

"Well, it's ultimately her decision and you and I both know that Haley will do whatever she want no matter what anybody else thinks," Nathan said.

"And that's the way she's always been," Luke added.

"I'll support her no matter what," Nathan vowed to himself.

"Where is Haley now?" Lucas asked, wondering why she hadn't come with Nathan.

"Oh, she's over at Peyton's," Nathan replied.

Lucas nodded. "Jake there too?"

Nathan rolled his eyes. "There's nothing going on between Jake and Peyton. She was helping him with his daughter and you know it," he snapped.

"It was just a question, Nathan," Lucas replied.

"No, Jake is not there," Nathan replied.

"But since you brought it up, I don't care if there's anything going on between them anymore," Lucas said.

"Because of Rachel?" Nathan asked, raising his eyebrows at his brother skeptically.

"Exactly," Lucas replied, looking in the direction of the bathroom that his girlfriend was showering in. "I've moved on and I'm happy with Rach."

"Or in denial," Nathan replied.

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Brooke and Chase both walked down the long hallway of the recovery wing of Tree Hill Hospital's surgical floor and stopped a few feet away from Haley's room Monday afternoon, two days after her exploratory surgery.

"Why are we standing outside the room?" Chase asked looking at his girlfriend curiously while he fiddled with the bouquet of white roses they had bought for Haley.

"I'm just preparing myself," Brooke replied.

"For what?" Chase raised his eyebrows at her in confusion.

"For what might be in there," she replied, her eyes darting to the partly opened door. "The last time I visited Haley in the hospital, it was right after her accident and she was in a coma."

"But she's not in a coma, she's in recovery," Chase pointed out.

"I know that, I just don't want to be the friend who looks like she's visiting a ghost," Brooke explained.

"Oh, would you quit your posturing; there are no cameras in here!" The voice sounded as strong as ever and slightly amused. Sometimes Haley was really annoying.

Now angered by the criticism of her character and the insinuation that she would use her talents as an actress to make visiting her friend in the hospital seem like an audition, Brooke made a beeline for the door, pushing it open so hard, it had smacked into the concrete wall with a loud thud.

"Why do you insist on putting me down for being an actress every chance you get, Haley?" Brooke demanded of her so-called friend with flared nostrils, throwing the flowers her boyfriend had held for her down on the floor carelessly.

Haley's eyes were bright with amusement. "Because it's entertaining to watch your colourful reactions- I bet you're going to be fantastic in that play of yours next year," she replied, her smile widening at her friend's appearance.

"Too bad you're not going to see it!" Brooke exclaimed hotly.

"You know very well that I think you're an excellent actress, Brooke, I only said that to get you through the door, behold my success," Haley said, gesturing to her friend's presence in the room.

Brooke was beat into silence.

"You're looking well for someone who just had surgery," Chase commented.

Haley nodded at him thankfully. "I'm on pain medication right now."

"What did the doctors say about your surgery?" Brooke asked curiously.

"I can't tell you before I've told Nathan," Haley replied.

"Nathan doesn't know?" Brooke asked, looking at her disbelievingly. "Hasn't he been at your side for the past few days?"

"He left last night to see his mom and dad so he wasn't here when the doctor came by this morning," Haley replied.

"Her doctor is a real piece of work," Anthony commented from the window.

"That's my brother," Haley explained to Chase who looked at him suspiciously.

"Where's Zach?" Brooke asked.

Anthony made a loud snort while Haley shook her head, signalling that it was not a good time to talk about her other brother.

"I thought Doctor Anderson was nice," Haley said, changing the subject.

"I was talking about Doctor Cutler," Anthony said.

"Ooh, Nathan told me about _him_," Brooke said, crinkling her nose.

"Uptight, British ass," Anthony spat.

"Hello, hello," Lucas greeted everyone as he entered the room with Rachel on his tale. "How are you feeling, Hales?"

Haley eyed Rachel dangerously and the redhead moved behind Lucas as if to shield herself from the hate radiating her stare. "I was feeling pretty good until about five seconds ago."

"Are you in pain?" Anthony asked, looking at his sister worriedly. "I can go get the nurse to give you another dose or something."

Her brother was so hilariously clueless.

He was on his feet heading towards the door but Brooke managed to stop him, by grabbing his hand as he passed her by. "No, she was talking about something else," she replied, subtly glancing at Rachel in response to his confused expression.

"I am standing right here," Rachel said incredulously, putting her hands on her hip in anger at her boyfriend's friends.

"Yeah, that would be the problem," Peyton replied from the chair beside Haley's bed, being the first person to actually come visit Haley, she had grabbed the best seat.

"We came to visit you," Rachel pointed out.

"Do we look stupid to you?" Brooke retorted.

"_He_ came to visit Haley because he cares about her," Peyton explained. "You came here for a different reason."

"Enlighten me," Rachel challenged, stepping out from behind Lucas looking ready for a fight.

"Don't bother," Lucas said, glaring at the both of them. "I don't know what your problem is with each other and I don't care but whatever it is; put it aside for now because I'm here for Haley."

"I was just," Peyton began meekly, looking at Lucas helplessly.

"I don't care what you were doing, Peyton!" Lucas exclaimed. "Just mind your own business."

"Yeah, just mind your own business," Rachel repeated, smiling at her triumphantly.

"Could you not talk so much? You have a really annoying voice," Peyton retorted.

"Excuse me?" Rachel demanded, her raspy voice dripping with anger.

"Hey, you're right," Brooke said in a sugary sweet tone. "Did something happen to you as a child or have you always sounded like that?"

"Would you shut your mouth, please?" Lucas asked, his gaze darting back and forth between Peyton and Brooke.

"Could you grow a pair?" Brooke retorted.

"Hey!" Haley threw her tray full of the flowers they had given her on the floor to grab their attention._H_"All of you grow up and get along for my sake before I throw all your asses out the door."

"Those flowers cost a fortune, Haley," Brooke complained.

"Consider it a lesson not to put expensive things within my reach and then start yelling at each other," Haley replied, shrugging carelessly at the enraged expressions on their faces. "You three are worse than rival basketball fans."

They all turned to look at her in confusion.

"You don't like Rachel anymore than we do," Peyton defended.

"Is that true, Haley?" Lucas asked, looking ready to start yelling at her.

"Of course it's true," Brooke replied before Haley could even form a response. "How can you like someone that called you a cripple the first time she saw you?"

"I didn't call her a cripple," Rachel said, shaking her head.

"Actually, you did," Chase said, nodding when Rachel began to shake her head again.

"Get out!" They all stopped arguing and looked at her in disbelief. "Get out of my room. I don't want to see any of you right now."

"Hales, come on," Lucas said.

"Out!" Haley exclaimed, pointing towards the door of her room for emphasis.

"You're being ridiculous," Peyton said.

"And you're getting on my nerves," Haley retorted.

"We came to visit you," Brooke reminded her.

"I'm supposed to be recovering, not playing referee so take it somewhere else," Haley said, waving them all off again.

"Maybe they messed with her brain or something," Rachel muttered to Lucas on her way out when she thought she was out of Haley's range of hearing.

"Yeah, and maybe they messed with yours during one of your procedures," Haley called back.

Rachel stopped walking and turned around to look at the hospital room. "What did you say?" She was probably wondering how Haley knew she had work done.

"That might explain why you don't think before you speak," Haley continued.

"Excuse me?" Rachel demanded now right outside the partly opened door to Haley's hospital room.

"Hey, or maybe you were just born stupid," Haley replied, smiling to herself because even though she couldn't see Rachel's face, she could imagine the look on it.

"You know, you're lucky you're paralysed, Haley," Rachel said, coming back into the room to glare at her with a furious expression on her face.

"That's the first time I've ever heard that before," Haley said.

"Because if you could walk and you'd said that to me, you'd be in serious need of work of your own," Rachel finished.

"Well, at least it'd be for a legitimate reason and not just my own vanity," Haley retorted.

"What are you talking about?" Rachel asked.

"Rach, come on, did you really think someone wouldn't remember you?" Haley replied.

Rachel's face paled as she stared at Haley in fear.

Lucas looked at his friend curiously. "Where do you remember her from?"

"I remember her from…" Haley started to reply.

"Haley, please, don't answer that!" Rachel pleaded desperately but she was too late.

"Grade school," she finished.

"You went to school in Tree Hill and you never told me?" Lucas asked, looking at his girlfriend strangely.

"You didn't remember me," Rachel replied in her defence.

"Can't really blame him, can you?" Haley interjected, earning her a glare from Rachel.

"What are you getting at?" Lucas asked.

"Figure it out on your own or wait for her to tell you, Luke," Haley replied.

"Rach?" Lucas asked, looking at her expectantly.

"I need to talk to Haley for a minute _alone_," Rachel said.

"Sure," Lucas said, leaving immediately.

"I don't want to talk to you," Haley said.

"You owe me for what you just pulled," Rachel said.

Haley scoffed. "I don't owe you anything, Rachel, except a black eye."

"You embarrassed me," Rachel argued.

"And I've got one mean right hook," Haley continued, ignoring her. "Just ask Peyton."

"You had no right telling him anything," Rachel screeched.

Haley looked at her seriously. "Are you really that ashamed of being a little overweight when you were a kid?" she asked.

Rachel chuckled. "I wasn't just a little overweight, Haley, I looked like a walrus."

"I guess that's a yes," Haley concluded.

"Yes, I admit it, I'm shallow," Rachel said.

"Colour me stunned," Haley replied, smirking.

"And you almost let Lucas know about something I've worked very hard to overcome," Rachel replied.

"Am I supposed to be sorry?" she asked, raising an inquiring eyebrow at her.

"Yes," Rachel replied exasperated.

"Well, I'm not sorry that I nearly ousted you as a hypocrite," Haley said.

"What are you talking about?" Rachel asked.

"I'm talking about what happened in the café, when you saw that I was in a wheelchair and acted so horrified," Haley replied.

"I was surprised," Rachel said.

"No, you were looking down at me!" Haley exclaimed.

"I was not," Rachel replied.

"I've been paralyzed for a few years now so do you really think I can't tell when someone has a problem with it?" Haley asked.

"I don't care," Rachel shrugged.

"You know, I remember you very well. I know you were teased mercilessly about your weight. Do you remember how they made you feel?" Haley asked.

"They made me feel like a freak," Rachel replied bitterly.

"And your reaction to my paralysis made me feel the same way," Haley said.

"It is not the same thing," Rachel said.

"You're right, it's not," Haley said, nodding in agreement. "You fixed yourself so you're not fat anymore but paralysis is rarely ever fixed."

Rachel looked at her. "Then what the hell did you have surgery for?"

"I said rarely, and if the doctors hadn't made a mistake, there would be no chance for recovery for me," Haley replied.

"But there is a chance," Rachel said.

"That's not the point," Haley said.

"Of course it is," Rachel said.

"No, it's not because when you made that crack, I didn't know that I could feel anything in my foot and neither did you," Haley said.

"I'm entitled to my opinion," Rachel argued.

"Yes, and so were the people that made fun of you but that doesn't mean they have to express it just to be mean," Haley said.

"What happened to me is not the same thing," Rachel said.

"No, it's worse," Haley exclaimed angrily. "Because you know what it's like and yet you still did the same thing to me!" Her voice thundered through the hallways.

Nathan passed the waiting room of the floor that Haley was on but stopped walking when he spotted Peyton, Brooke and Chase sitting in a secluded corner.

"What are you guys doing out here?" he asked.

"Haley asked us to leave the room," Chase replied after Peyton and Brooke just glared at him.

"Why?" Nathan asked.

"Rachel," Brooke and Peyton replied simultaneously.

"Luke's girlfriend?" Nathan asked.

"They got into a fight with her and Lucas," Chase explained.

"Aha," Nathan said, smirking now because he could imagine Haley's response to fighting when they were supposed to be visiting her.

"In a way, Haley's the one that started it," Brooke said defensively.

"I doubt that," Nathan said.

"It's true," Peyton insisted.

"When Lucas asked her how she was, she said that she was fine until a few seconds before," Brooke explained.

"You were the ones who took things too far," Chase said.

"What?" Brooke asked glaring at him in disbelief.

"Haley never said that it was because of Rachel that she wasn't feeling well, you assumed that's what she meant and then got into a fight with Rachel and Lucas," Chase replied.

"Hey, Boyfriend, you're supposed to be on my side," Brooke said.

"So where are Luke and Rachel?" Nathan asked, ignoring the lovers' spat.

Peyton shrugged. "I think they're still outside the hall of Haley's room."

"Why?" Nathan asked cautiously.

"Rachel made a feeble comment on the way out," Brooke replied.

"And Haley didn't appreciate it," Peyton added.

"Uh oh," Nathan sighed, turning back around and heading to his girlfriend's room with the other three following.

When they finally reached her room, the fight had escalated from just Rachel and Haley to Lucas, Rachel and Haley.

Lucas had one of his arms wrapped around Rachel's back, hugging her to him as he glared at Haley angrily. "Haley, you need to stop attacking her every time she's around," Lucas demanded.

Haley was sitting up in bed, looking pissed off. "And you should put a muzzle on her when you're out in public," she retorted.

"I am not a dog," Rachel exclaimed.

"Really, cause the resemblance is uncanny!" Brooke chimed in.

"No, you're a bitch with a big mouth," Haley said.

"Maybe you should stop ridiculing Rachel, Haley, before you go too far," Lucas said.

"Why are you taking her side?" Haley asked of her best friend.

"She's my girlfriend," Lucas said.

"And I am your best friend," Haley reminded him.

"My best friend wouldn't attack people like this," Lucas said.

"No, but I don't let people who look down at me get away with treating me like garbage," Haley said.

"Rachel never said anything negative about you," Lucas said.

"What are you talking about? The first thing that came out of her mouth was not only negative, it was hateful," Haley said.

"You took it the wrong way," Lucas said.

"How was I supposed to take being called a cripple then, Luke?" Haley asked.

"Rachel was caught off guard never having seen someone in a wheelchair before. She was shocked so she said the first thing that came to mind," Lucas said.

"So when the first thing that comes to her mind when referring to someone in a wheelchair is the word cripple, I'm not supposed to have a problem with that?" Haley asked.

"That wasn't the first word that came to my mind, the first one was gimp!" Rachel exclaimed.

"Get her out of here before I put her through the window, Lucas," Anthony said, rising to his sister's defence.

"You better take him up on the offer because I'm about to throw this pitcher of water all over her," Haley warned, picking up the pitcher of water with very little effort.

"If you would just calm down, Haley," Lucas began slowly.

"Now, Lucas!" Haley thundered.

"Don't put me in this position again, Haley," Lucas said.

"I'm not making you choose sides, Luke," Haley said.

"If you make me walk away with her now, you are," Lucas said.

"I said for you to take her out of here, not for you to leave with her," Haley said.

"That's a given," Lucas said.

"Then I guess you've already chosen a side," Haley said, looking at him sadly now.

Lucas nodded and grabbed a hold of Rachel's hand before starting to leave.

His brother caught him and pulled him back by the shoulder. "Don't leave things like this, Luke," Nathan said.

"She's my girlfriend," Lucas said.

"And that wins out with you every time," Haley said.

"Come on, you two are best friends," Peyton said, looking at both of them. "Don't do this again."

"It's already done," Haley replied, shaking her head as tears sprang to her eyes. "I see how little I mean to him now."

"My surgery was a success," Haley announced a half hour later to Chase, Brooke, Peyton and Nathan.

"What does that mean?" Peyton asked.

"It means that the damage is repairable," Anthony replied.

"With or without that surgery," Haley added.

Nathan's head snapped up at the news. "Does that mean you're not going to have it?" he asked.

"I've been thinking about that and I really want to have it," Haley replied.

"But you could die," Anthony reminded her.

"And I could get better quicker," Haley replied.

"Are you sure that's worth the risk?" Nathan asked.

"I think it is but there's still five more weeks until the operation," Haley replied.

"I don't want to lose you, Hales," Nathan admitted.

"I don't plan on going anywhere," Haley said, giving him some assurance.

Then a nurse came in the room and shooed them all out. "Visiting hours were over ten minutes ago," she said.

"Bye," Haley called to them as they were being pushed out the door.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

The next day, Haley was reading the entertainment section of the newspaper, marvelling at how the smallest thing about a celebrity's life was considered news.

The fact that Lindsay Lohan was in rehab seemed reason enough to devote two pages to the starlet's career, detailing the ups and downs of her career, as well as her love life.

_Boring_, Haley thought to herself as she turned the page to find out which movies were premiering that week. "Not like I could see any of them," she remarked bitterly as she viewed her surroundings in her private but suffocating hospital room.

"Knock, knock," a male voice greeted her enthusiastically.

When she looked up, she smiled brightly at the friend standing in the doorway. "Hey, Jake," she said and her smile widened when she caught sight of his daughter in a cradle, "and Jenny."

"Hey, Haley," Jake said as he set Jenny down on a table close to the window of her room.

"Where were you yesterday?" Haley asked, wondering why her friend hadn't shown up when all the others had.

"Somebody caught a bit of the sniffles," Jake replied, looking at his daughter tenderly.

Haley frowned at him. "She looks fine to me," she said, looking at him again, this time smirking because she had caught him in a lie.

Jake rolled his eyes. "I had a date," he replied nervously.

Haley's face brightened. "Really, who was the lucky lady?" she asked.

"Jenny's friend from daycare came over," Jake replied.

"What?" Haley asked, furrowing her brow in confusion.

"It was a play date," he explained.

"Ah," Haley nodded.

"But I did meet someone," he announced.

"Who?" Haley asked.

"Natalie's mom," Jake replied.

"I gather that Natalie is the name of Jenny's friend from daycare," she said.

"Yeah, her mom's name is Erica," Jake said.

"Dude, your eyes lit up when you said her name," Haley teased.

"That's because I really like her," Jake explained.

"That's great, Jake," Haley congratulated him. "Any plans for a second date?"

"It's not for another two days," Jake replied.

"Right," Haley said.

"So, Peyton told me about the fight," Jake said, looking at her inquiringly.

"Which one?" Haley asked and there was an edge in her voice now.

"The one you had with Lucas," Jake replied, looking at her more closely again for a reaction to his name.

Keeping her face calm, Haley nodded. "And?"

"Are you really going to let Rachel come between the two of you?" Jake asked.

"He's the one that took _her_ side," Haley argued.

"It's not like he could have just left her there, standing in the hallway while he visited you or deserted her completely when he's the one who drove them to the hospital," Jake pointed out.

"Why couldn't he have left her standing in the hallway?" Haley asked.

"Haley, you know how that would look to Rachel who _is_ his girlfriend," Jake said.

"Yes, and Luke is the one who made the fact that he was leaving with her about choosing sides," Haley argued. "He didn't care how doing that would look to me so why should I care about his relationship?"

"You two are best friends," Jake pointed out.

"And the two of you were good friends for years until that whole mess with Nikki and Peyton but you let that come between you," Haley shot back.

"That's because Lucas refused to believe us when we said that nothing was going on," Jake argued.

"And why is it my responsibility to mend our friendship?" Haley asked irritably.

"You can be the better person here," Jake attempted to persuade her.

"If you're suggesting that I apologize to Rachel, I don't care about being a better person," Haley said.

"You could apologize to Lucas," Jake tried again.

"No," Haley refused, shaking her head solemnly.

"Why not?" Jake asked.

"Because I'm not the one who's wrong this time," Haley replied.

"What?" Jake asked.

"With Peyton, I crossed the line when I vilified her for making fun of Lisa and continued to hate her even after those two had patched things up, but Rachel is the one that went too far by calling me a cripple and a gimp," Haley replied.

"She actually called you that?" Jake looked horrified.

"Yes," Haley replied.

Jake took out his cell phone and dialled a number quickly.

"Hello?" Peyton said on the other line.

"I'm not going to convince Haley to apologize," Jake said firmly.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Because she shouldn't," he said.

"That's not the point, Jake. Her friendship with Luke is on the line here," Peyton said.

"And there are certain things called principles," Jake pointed out.

"What are you talking about?" Peyton asked.

"I don't think Haley should have to apologize to the person that called her a gimp," Jake said.

"Then she should apologize to Luke at least," Peyton replied.

"Or the one that defended that person," Jake argued.

"Give me the phone," Haley said, holding out her hand to Jake.

He gave her the phone with a smile on his face because he knew what was coming.

"What do you think you're doing?" Haley demanded of Peyton as soon as she put the phone up to her ear.

"I'm just trying to help," Peyton replied.

"Thanks for caring but stop helping," Haley said.

"Haley, you're stubborn which is why I needed Jake to push you to apologize," Peyton said.

"And he failed and let me make myself clear; I didn't do anything wrong. I have nothing to apologize for," Haley said.

"That's not exactly true," Peyton said.

"What?" Haley demanded.

"You did insult her," Peyton reminded her.

"I was standing up for myself and need I remind you that both you and Brooke insulted Rachel too," Haley said.

"So?" Peyton asked.

"So maybe you should apologize to her," Haley said.

"Not a chance," Peyton said dismissively.

"Then apologize to Luke for ridiculing his girlfriend," Haley suggested calmly.

There was nothing to be heard on Peyton's end but dead air for what seemed like eternity as the blonde sat at her desk in her bedroom fuming at her friend.

"Peyton?" Haley questioned.

"I can't believe you actually suggest that I apologize to Luke after everything he's said about me," Peyton finally said.

"Bygones," Haley quipped.

"He called me a slut, accused me of sleeping with his best friend and then dumped me in front of the entire school," Peyton exclaimed.

"And yet you still love the cretin," Haley reminded her.

"That is neither here nor there, Haley," Peyton said.

"Actually, it is relevant, Peyton, because you still love Lucas but refuse to do anything about it," Haley said.

"What's your point?" Peyton asked.

"Either fix your relationship with Lucas or don't but stay the hell out of mine," Haley said.

Peyton nervously walked up the front steps to the side entrance of her former boyfriend's bedroom and knocked on the door.

Lucas opened the door and stared at her in disbelief. "What are you doing here, Peyton?"

"We need to talk," she said, raising her head so that she was looking at him.

"Look, if this is about Haley, Nathan already chewed me out and I'm going to apologize to her tomorrow," he said.

"Why tomorrow?" Peyton asked, looking at him in confusion. It wasn't even five in the afternoon.

"Nathan told me that she was still mad when he saw her this morning and that I should give her more time to cool down," Lucas said.

"What about Rachel?" Peyton asked.

Lucas looked at her and smiled weirdly. "I guess I'll have to get used to the fact that my girlfriend and best friend hate each other again," he said.

"Shouldn't be too hard given your past experience," she joked.

His face grew slack at the mention of their relationship. "Yeah, so I guess I'll see you later," he said as he began to close the door on her.

Peyton reached out and blocked the door with her hand. "Wait, Lucas," she said.

He opened the door fully again and looked at her questioningly. "What?"

"I didn't come here because of Haley," Peyton said.

"Then why are you here?" he asked.

"I need to tell you something," Peyton said.

"Okay," he said and looked at her expectantly.

"Can I come inside?" she asked, looking at his bedroom. "I don't want to do this here."

"Okay," he said, moving aside so she could come in.

He sat down on the bed while she paced around nervously trying to gather her thoughts.

"Peyton?"

"Yeah, sorry, this is hard," she said as she met his worried glance.

"Just say what's on your mind," he said.

"I'm sorry," she blurted out.

"For what?" he asked, looking at her in confusion.

"Us," she said.

"What?"

"What happened with us," she added.

"Peyton," he began slowly.

"I know that you think I was cheating on you with Jake but I swear that I wasn't," she said.

"I promised Nikki that I wouldn't tell anyone about the pregnancy and then I promised Jake that I wouldn't tell anyone about Jenny after Nikki split and he was a wreck after that- he needed my help with Jenny and that's all it was," Peyton continued.

"I don't know what to say," Lucas said, looking at her undecidedly.

"And I'm sorry for not telling you the truth when you asked me what was going on," she said.

"Why are you doing this now?" Lucas asked, staring at her in disbelief.

"Because I miss you," she admitted.

"Peyton, I know that nothing was going on between you and Jake now and I am very sorry for everything that I did," Lucas started to say.

"Really?" she asked, looking at him hopefully with relief written all over her face.

"But things can never go back to the way they were," he said.

"What?" Peyton sat down at his desk chair.

"I'm with Rachel now," Lucas said.

"And?" Peyton cocked her head to the side.

"I'm not leaving her," Lucas said.

Peyton faltered. "Wait, you think I apologized so you would leave Rachel and take me back?" she asked.

"You said you missed me," Lucas nodded.

"And I do but I meant I miss talking to you and seeing you without everything being weird and tense," Peyton replied.

"So you don't want to get back together?" Lucas asked, looking at her uncertainly and unsure of whether or not he was relieved if she didn't.

"No," Peyton shook her head. "I want to be friends again."

"Don't you think us being friends would be a little awkward?" Lucas asked carefully.

"Not unless we make it awkward," Peyton replied.

"I guess we can give being friends a try," he said, smiling at her.

"Great," Peyton lied, hoping her eyes did not betray her real feelings.

"I'll see you at the hospital tomorrow," Lucas said.

"Assuming Haley forgives you," Peyton pointed out.

"You don't think she will?" he asked.

"Well, Rachel really insulted her and you defending her didn't help your case much," Peyton replied gently.

"I better go work on my speech," he said, looking a little nervous.

Peyton stared at him in confusion. "What speech?"

"My apology speech," Lucas replied shyly.

Peyton's eyes brimmed with amusement. "You're writing an apology speech?"

"Well, I want her to forgive me and for that, my apology has to be really good," Lucas said.

"Hence turning it into a speech," Peyton teased.

"Bye, Peyton," Lucas frowned at her.

"Bye," Peyton said, laughing her head off on her way out the door.

"Promise me you will give him a chance and hear him out," Nathan said to Haley the next morning when he came to visit her in the hospital after telling Lucas to wait outside in the hall.

"Of course I'm going to listen to what he has to say," Haley said, looking at him as if he were being ridiculous.

Nathan eyed her carefully. "Without interrupting?"

"Oh," Haley realized.

"Hales?" Nathan looked at her questioningly. "Do you promise that you will not interrupt his apology?"

"I guess," Haley replied, rolling her eyes at the fact that she had to promise such a thing. "I will not interrupt him unless he says something stupid."

"That's not really a promise since you could consider anything he said stupid and nobody would be able to refute it because it's your opinion," Nathan said.

Haley smiled at her boyfriend's brilliance. "Exactly," she said, smirking smugly now. "But you wouldn't be able to say that I broke my promise, would you?"

"Sometimes you're too smart for your own good," Nathan teased, shaking his head at her.

"But I do promise that I will be open-minded," Haley said.

Nathan considered this for a minute and he kept a solemn expression on his face. "That's good enough for me," he finally said and kissed her on the mouth.

"Come on in, Luke," he called to his brother in the hallway.

A few seconds later, Lucas walked in with his head up so he was meeting his angry best friend's gaze, determined not to look down in guilt, something he knew Haley hated.

"I'm told you have something to say to me," Haley said.

Lucas nodded. "Rachel was out of line when she said those things about you and I crossed the line when I defended her," he started.

The thought that there was nothing more obvious than that passed through Haley's mind as she stared at him but she remained quiet, urging him to continue.

"And I am really sorry for choosing her side over yours _again_," he said, emphasizing the word to let her know that he was aware that he had done the same thing to her twice. "I never meant for you to think that you're not important to me because you are- you're my _best_ friend, Hales."

Nathan and Lucas both looked at her expectantly for a response to his apology. "Haley?" Nathan asked when she said nothing.

"Am I really your best friend, Luke?" Haley asked softly.

"Yes," he nodded insistently.

"Are you sure?" Haley questioned.

"Of course I am," Lucas replied, looking at her strangely.

"Haley, what are you getting at?" Nathan asked.

Haley met her boyfriend's curious gaze and shrugged. "Well, I want to know exactly where I stand with him," she said.

"And now that you do?" Lucas asked, looking at her hopefully.

"You are a crappy friend," Haley concluded.

"I am," he acknowledged.

"This is the second time you've taken the side of some girl- who in this case, might as well be a stranger when compared to how long you've known me- whom you've been dating for less than a year over mine," Haley informed him, her voice getting angrier by the second.

"I am an idiot," he excused.

"You really are sometimes, Luke," Haley agreed.

"And I'm sorry," Lucas said.

Haley squinted at him, a move he was famous for. "You say that but are you really?" she asked.

"Yes, I am," Lucas said.

"I hate Rachel," Haley said seriously.

"I know," Lucas said.

"And I make no apologies for that," she added.

"You don't have to," he nodded.

"What are you going to do if we get into another fight?" Haley asked.

He shrugged. "I don't know," he replied honestly.

Haley looked at him incredulously. "You don't know?"

"Well, it really depends on what the fight is about," Lucas replied.

"Okay, what if Rachel opens her mouth and says something insulting to me?" Haley asked.

"We'll leave," Lucas replied.

Haley raised an eyebrow at him. "You mean like you did the first time?"

Lucas shook his head. "No, this time I will be getting her away from you and dropping her off somewhere and then I'd come back. I will not be taking her side," he said.

"And what if Rachel has a problem with that?" Haley asked.

"She probably would," Lucas said.

"That's not an answer," Haley pointed out irritably.

"Then she'll have a problem with it," Lucas shrugged.

"You're forgiven but I'm still mad," Haley said finally.

Lucas let out a sigh of relief. "Thank God," he exclaimed.

"And Luke," Haley started to say.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"This is your last chance," Haley told him seriously.


	5. Chapter 5

**Elbow update**: It's not broken! But I did sprain it pretty badly and it's still hurting. I've got a better range of motion in my wrist now so I can type a little with the bad arm. It's been very frustrating having to have help for things that I can normally do on my own- I'm not someone who accepts help very easily. I'm very independent so my pride has taken a bit of a beating. But I did manage to write an extra long chapter for you.

* * *

**Chapter Five**

"_I have to do this," Haley told Nathan a few weeks later. _

_The surgery to help her walk again had been moved up ahead of schedule and while Haley was all for the opportunity to get it over with sooner, her boyfriend and older brother were not so sure that she should take the risk._

"_Why?" Nathan asked her seriously._

_Haley scoffed. "Because I want to walk again," she replied, widening her eyes at him to let him know that he should already know why. _

"_The steroids are already helping and they'll do their job if you give them half a chance," Nathan said, pointing to her ankles where she had full feeling now. _

"_Feeling my ankles is not enough for me," Haley shook her head in refusal. "I want to get out of this chair and the surgery will help me do that." _

"_What if it kills you?" Nathan asked.  
_

"_The chances of that happening are like one in a million," Haley replied._

"_But it can happen," Nathan argued.  
_

"_It's more likely that I'll get better," Haley retorted._

"_Or you could get worse," Nathan replied, his eyes cast down now so that he was looking at her legs._

_Haley felt tears of frustration sting her eyes and she slammed her fists against the armrests of her wheelchair. "Why are you doing this?" she demanded. _

"_I don't want anything to happen to you, Hales," he replied, kneeling down at her side now so he could look into her eyes even though she refused to meet his gaze as she kept her eyes shielded while she cried._

"_I'm willing to take that risk if it means I'll get to walk again," Haley said stubbornly._

_Nathan grabbed her hands and took them away from her face, pulling her hands to him and held them together in his grasp. "I get that you want to walk," Nathan said.  
_

"_No, you don't get it!" Haley exploded, taking her hands away from him. "You try to understand but you'll never be able to, not really, because you're not the one stuck in this damn thing." _

"_I haven't taken a step for two years, Nathan," Haley continued miserably. She wiped some of her tears away but it wasn't long before new ones took their place. "And I pretended that I accepted it because nothing could be done." _

"_What do you mean, you pretended?" Nathan asked.  
_

"_Being paralysed has taken so much away from me," Haley said, wiping more tears away. "And I acted like everything was fine when it wasn't and now this surgery is a great chance for me to walk again and you want me to throw it away?" _

_She shook her head. "I won't do that," she added._

"_I want you to think it through," Nathan replied._

"_I have thought it through," Haley said, nodding insistently, eyes full of passion. "The topic has never left my mind. When I'm talking to you and everyone else, I'm thinking it through. When I'm sleeping, I'm thinking it through. Even right now, I'm still thinking about it because I want to walk."_

"_And what happens if the surgery doesn't work and you die?" Nathan asked, looking at her with an equal amount of passion in his penetrating blue eyes. "I prefer you in that wheelchair, frustrated because the steroids are taking too long to work because I can't lose you."_

"_Then I guess we're at an impasse," Haley said sadly, wheeling away from him. "I know you love me and that you want me to walk again for my sake, not yours-"_

"_I also want you safe," Nathan interjected._

_Haley nodded at him. "But I'm having the surgery tomorrow with or without your support."_

"_Tomorrow?" Nathan repeated in disbelief._

"_Yeah, the date was moved up again," she replied._

"_Why so soon?" he asked._

"The doctor performing my surgery has a vacation planned for the original date and he won't be back until the end of the year so he decided to just move up my surgery," Haley explained.

"I still think you're being hasty," Nathan said seriously.

"Well, I don't," Haley snapped, feeling as if she were at the end of her rope. "And even if I am, this is my decision to make, not yours, not Anthony's or anyone else's."

Nathan shook his head at her, looking for some sign on her face that she was having doubts about the surgery but he could not find a single one. His girlfriend had made up her mind and she was sticking to her decision, no matter what the cost may be.

"I can't support your decision," Nathan said, hoping that the thought of not having him around would change her mind but his stand didn't seem to faze her in the least.

Burying the sadness and panic that enveloped her at the thought of not having him with her through the surgery, she put on a strong face and raised her head so that she could look up at him. "Then what are you still doing here?" she asked.

Haley pushed the memory of her break-up with Nathan out of her mind. It had been seven days since she had had the surgery and she had yet to see her boyfriend since their fight.

A fight that about whether or not she should have had the surgery which was moot since she had not only had the surgery, but survived it and was now in the process of recovering from the work on her spine and getting used to walking again.

Deciding that some exercise might lift her spirits, she slowly anchored herself up and pulled her legs off the bed, smiling at the sensation she felt when her hands made contact with the skin on her knees. That feeling would never get old to her.

Taking her crutches from beside her bed, she slowly lifted herself up and walked- well, hobbled- to the door to her bedroom and opened it.

"Hales, you're awake," her brother Anthony said, smiling at his sister brilliantly.

Her brain told her that her brother was far too excited to see her and that something was up. No one was ever that happy to see her walking on crutches.

"What happened?" she asked, looking at her brother suspiciously.

Anthony smirked. His sister was frighteningly intuitive. "I finally did it," he said.

Haley looked at him curiously. "Finally did what?"

"I proposed to Pam yesterday," he replied.

Her eyes widened in surprise. "I'm guessing she said yes because if she didn't, you're acting very strange for a guy who got turned down."

"Ha, smarty pants, very amusing," Anthony rolled his eyes.

"Well, where is she?" Haley asked, looking towards their bedroom for signs of her future sister-in-law.

"She had to go to work early," he replied.

"I hope she doesn't bring her laptop with her on your honeymoon because she is such a workaholic, she'd probably spend the whole time yapping with her colleagues," Haley said.

"Don't start," Anthony warned.

"I'm not starting anything. If I still had a problem with Pam, I never would have accepted your offer to move in with the two of you," Haley said, shaking her head dismissively. "Seriously, I'm happy for you."

"Thank you," Anthony finally said after staring at his sister for two full minutes, trying to decide if she was actually telling him the truth.

"Have you talked to Nathan yet?" he asked, looking at her curiously.

His sister winced at the name, which he took as a sign that they hadn't worked things out.

"No," was all she said and then she moved past him and headed down the hall and walked into the kitchen.

He followed her. "That's all I get?" He looked at her in disbelief.

"What were you expecting?" Haley asked without turning around.

"A full sentence would be nice, as well as an explanation," Anthony replied.

"An explanation for what?" Haley asked.

"What's going on with you and Nathan- he hasn't even called since the operation?" Anthony replied.

"There are no telephones in the afterlife," Haley replied, her face scrunched up with annoyance as she rolled her eyes.

"What?" her brother asked, looking at her like she was crazy.

"Nathan was convinced I wouldn't survive the surgery," Haley said simply, as she sat down in a chair, overcome with a wave of exhaustion.

"He knows you're still alive, Haley," Anthony said.

"Does he?" Haley asked, looking at him strangely. "He hasn't called; I haven't received flowers or a card or anything from him."

"The telephone works both ways," Anthony said.

"I've heard that," Haley agreed but shrugged at her brother. "But I will only be answering the phone should he call to apologize."

"And if he doesn't call?" Anthony asked.

"Then he better visit," Haley replied.

"You know, as ridiculous as you might think his side is, he did have reason to worry, Haley," Anthony said.

"I know that and I had my own doubts but my urge to walk again outweighed them by about five hundred pounds," she replied.

Anthony chuckled at her. "He might think he isn't the one that should be apologizing," he said.

"He was wrong; worried that I might die but I'm alive," Haley replied.

"That's not the point," Anthony said.

"You were on his side the whole time but when I pulled through, you didn't stay away, did you?" Haley asked, pointing out that Nathan pulling a disappearing act after the operation is what she was really mad about now, not the stupid argument they had about her having the operation.

"No, but I live with you so it'd be kind of hard not to talk to you when you needed someone to drive you home and make sure you were okay," Anthony said.

"Pam's around sometimes," Haley reminded him.

"Except that you and Pam don't always get along so I don't think leaving you alone together for extended periods of time would be a bright idea," Anthony countered.

"Everyone else managed to show up whether they thought I should have had the operation or not," Haley said, wondering why her brother was having a hard time understanding that she had a right to be mad.

"_Rachel_ was there and we both hate each other," Haley added, chuckling to herself as she remembered how surprised she was when she saw the redhead peer in the doorway after Lucas had walked in. "But my boyfriend never made an appearance."

"You should visit her," Lucas said as he walked into the doorway of his brother's bedroom.

"No," Nathan shook his head stubbornly. "I'm not going to give her the satisfaction."

"You do realize how stupid that sounds, don't you?" Lucas asked.

Nathan glared at him warningly in response.

"Haley came home from the hospital yesterday after coming out of surgery seven days ago- a surgery that you didn't think she would survive, I remind you," Lucas said, sitting down at his brother's desk and staring at him for some sign that his brother heard him. "Do you even care?"

Nathan flinched at the implication that he didn't care. "Of course I care that she's alive, you idiot. I _love_ that girl."

"Then go see her," Lucas said, gesturing to the door with his hands as a way of saying that he should be walking out of the room.

"I can't because then she'll think that she was right about the fight," Nathan said.

"The fight about the surgery," Lucas said.

"Yes," Nathan said.

"The surgery that she just had," Lucas pointed out.

Nathan rolled his eyes. "Yes." He sat up and looked at his brother seriously. "I can't let her think that I agree with her decision just because she survived the surgery no matter how happy I am that she did."

"It was her decision," Lucas said.

"I know that," Nathan said.

"And it doesn't matter that we didn't agree with it," Lucas said.

Nathan stared at him in surprise. "You didn't agree with her decision either?"

"Heck, no, I thought she should just stick with the steroids rather than risk dying on the operating table," Lucas said.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Nathan asked.

"Because Haley is the one that has to live with it," Lucas said.

"What?" Nathan asked.

"It's easy for us to say that she shouldn't have the surgery because her life is more important than walking again but Haley is the one that couldn't walk, not us," Lucas said.

"You think I don't know that?" Nathan asked.

"I think you know that being paralyzed is difficult at best for Haley but as for understanding what it really is to not walk, I think Haley is the only one who truly understands what that is like," Lucas said.

"Because she is paralyzed," Nathan said, nodding in agreement.

"You mean she _was_," Lucas said.

Nathan stared at him in amazement. "She's not paralyzed?"

"No, she was on crutches when Rach and I visited yesterday," Lucas replied.

"So she was walking?" Nathan asked.

"A snail could beat her in a race, but yeah," Lucas said.

Nathan was silent as he looked down at the ground, shaking his head.

"You didn't know the surgery was a success?" Lucas asked in disbelief.

"No!" Nathan exclaimed as he stood up and threw his jacket on and walked out the door.

Lucas caught up with him in the hallway. "Where are you going?" he asked.

"I'm going to see her," Nathan said.

"I thought you weren't going to give her the satisfaction," Lucas said, slowing his pace as his brother did the same.

"That was before I knew she could walk," Nathan said, closing the front door behind him.

Lucas smiled to himself as he heard the motor of his brother's car star up. "That wasn't so hard after all," he said and sent a text message to Peyton to let her know that he had succeeded in getting Nathan to go visit Haley.

"Thanks, Anthony," Nathan said as Haley's brother let him in the apartment that he and his sister shared along with Anthony's girlfriend.

"She's in the kitchen," Anthony said, pointing down the hall and rejoining his girlfriend in the living room.

"And she's very testy," Pam informed him, cringing as she remembered the argument she had had with her fiancée's sister just twenty minutes before.

"Yeah, tread carefully," Anthony advised.

Nathan rounded the corner and stopped at the entryway to the kitchen. He prepared himself for facing her, knowing she probably would put up a fight- his girlfriend was not known for being a doormat, she didn't let people off the hook very easily and he loved that about her.

He walked into the doorway but was frozen in place as he caught sight of her standing at the counter, her back turned to him.

Haley was dressed in light pyjama bottoms and matching spaghetti strapped shirt, with her hair piled on top of her head in her own unique way of putting her hair into a bun. Her crutches were under each arm as she put most of her weight on them while fidgeting with her toast in the toaster.

She was gorgeous but what struck him most was that this was the first time he had ever seen her standing up on her own two feet. For their entire relationship, she had been in the wheelchair so Nathan was not used to anything else.

"Hey."

Haley jumped slightly at the greeting, startled because she had not known that anyone was in the room. She almost lost her balance but grabbed on to the counter for extra support.

She turned around to face her boyfriend slowly, angling the crutches so that they were spread further apart.

Not saying a word to Nathan, she crutched over to the table and sat down. When she managed to put the crutches away, telling him that she didn't need his help, she nodded at the seat across from her.

He sat down.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" Nathan asked.

Haley shrugged at him but didn't meet his gaze.

"Hales," he said.

She looked at him and noticed he was smiling.

"What?" she snapped, angry that he had the nerve to smile at her after staying away for seven whole days.

"I'm happy for you," he said.

"Yeah, miraculously, I'm still alive," Haley said sarcastically.

He nodded. "I deserve that."

"Damn straight you do," Haley said.

"I'm sorry," Nathan said.

Haley rolled her eyes. "Not going to cut it," she said.

"Hear me out before you say that, okay?" Nathan asked.

Haley considered his plea for a second. "Fine," she relented and looked at him expectantly.

"I'm not going to apologize for worrying about you because that's something I will never stop doing when you're in danger," Nathan said.

"Then what are you doing here?" Haley asked impatiently.

"I _will_ apologize for thinking that I have a say in what you decide to do with your life," Nathan continued, ignoring her question. "I was wrong there. I had no right telling you not to have the surgery when I have no idea what it's like to be paralyzed."

"Your opinion matters to me," Haley said.

"What?" Nathan asked, not expecting her to answer so quickly. He figured she would stay silent to torment him for as long as she could.

"I never want you to feel like you can't tell me how you feel because you think I might not like it," Haley said, shaking her head at his apology. "We don't have to agree on everything but we do have to be honest with each other if this relationship is going to last."

"So tell me what you're feeling- I can't guarantee I'll always agree but if you're worried about me, I want to know," Haley said.

"Okay," Nathan said, surprised that she had forgiven him.

"Great, I'm glad we've got that settled," Haley said, nodding at him but her face grew angry again. "Now where the hell have you been for the past week?"

Nathan blinked at the change in her voice, not just volume but her voice had grown very agitated when just seconds before she had been speaking calmly. "I didn't know the surgery worked," he said.

"And whose fault is that?" Haley retorted.

"I don't understand," Nathan said.

"If you had shown up the day of the surgery or the day after, you would have known but you didn't visit so you never knew," Haley said.

"You could have called and told me," Nathan pointed out.

Haley scoffed. "Why should I have made things easier for you?"

"You could have met me halfway," Nathan said.

Haley shook her head dismissively. "I was the one having a life-changing operation and _you_ are the one that didn't visit me. There is no halfway."

"I'm sorry, Haley, really I am," Nathan said, reaching over and taking her hand in his.

"You better be because I need you right now," she said, looking at him seriously.

He nodded at her and smiled. "I'm here."

"Then let's get going," Haley said, grabbing her crutches.

"Where?" he asked.

"To my room to watch some TV," Haley said, pulling herself up and taking a small step away from the table.

Nathan smiled at the sight, pride swelling within him as he watched her fight through the pain of her sore leg muscles as she took yet another small step.

"What are you staring at?" Haley asked when she finally caught him staring.

"You walking," Nathan replied, widening his smile at her.

Haley grinned. "Pretty cool, isn't it?" she winked at him.

He put his arm around her shoulders and gently pulled her against him. "It's amazing; you're really short, you know?"

Haley rolled her eyes. "Did you ever think that you might just be freakishly tall?" she asked.

"I'm 6' 2", that doesn't make me a giant," he replied.

"Whatever," Haley said, her voice dropping to a lower tone to let him know not to press the issue of her height.

"I'm glad you're okay," he told her as they settled on her bed and decided on watching some nameless comedian until _Friends _came on in twenty minutes.

"I told you I didn't plan on going anywhere," Haley said.

* * *

**Author's Note**: I seem to be focusing more on _All Hell Breaks Loose_ right now and since it has only a few more chapters to go, I will not be writing anymore of the other stories until it is. So, this story, _Cracks In The Sky_ and _Notice_ will be going on temporary hiatus. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

The phone had been ringing for five minutes and when Haley realized that her brother and his fiancée were not home, she had begun to crutch her way to the kitchen.

"Hello?" she answered the phone, as she tried to catch her breath.

"Hales?" The person on the other end of the phone asked uncertainly.

It didn't take long for Haley to recognize the voice of her other older brother, Zack James. "Yeah, Zack, it's me," she replied.

"Shouldn't you still be in the hospital?" he asked.

"The surgery was three weeks ago," Haley reminded him.

"Sorry, I haven't talked to Dad in a while," her brother explained. "I tried calling here but Anthony hung up on me and told me not to call again."

Haley rolled her eyes. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't do the same," she said.

"You're not mad at me too now, are you?" Zack asked in disbelief.

"I wasn't before but when I was in the hospital, you didn't call me once," Haley replied.

"I don't get many phone calls," he told her.

"Let me guess, you want a favour?" Haley asked.

Her brother Zack had a long history of criminal activity. It started out as petty theft then it escalated to bank robbery.

When Anthony had taken him in after their father had first moved to Florida, Zack had promised to get his act together. He would find a job as a mechanic and keep it and seek help for his gambling problem.

At first, he had kept his word, but it was short lived.

Anthony, who was a detective at the Tree Hill Police Department, had found out that someone wanted in connection to a string of bank robberies in Miami, Florida, had known ties to North Carolina. He took a look at the sketch of the suspect that had been faxed to the department as an APB; he recognized his baby brother in seconds.

After wrestling with the decision, Anthony did the right thing and turned Zack in. What Zack called a betrayal, Anthony called helping him and Haley hadn't agreed or disagreed with either one of them. She chose to stay out of it.

Their father had stood by his younger son, cutting his older son off at first but after time, Anthony and Jimmy had managed to reach an understanding about what had happened.

Taylor had understood Zack's problems, having a criminal past herself and a drinking problem of her own so she had taken Zack's side.

Things remained the same between her brothers. Zack was angry with Anthony for turning him in and Anthony was furious at Zack for putting him in that position.

"I'm in trouble, sis," Zack finally told his younger sister.

"What this time?" Haley asked, unsure if she really wanted to know.

"I owe some people money and I need you to get it for me," Zack replied.

"How much?" Haley asked.

"Two thousand," he replied.

Haley was about to yell at him but he spoke before she could. "I know what you're going to say and I'm sorry but I made the bet before I went to prison. If Anthony hadn't turned me in, I would have paid my debt but he did and I can't pay if off from in here," he said.

"What do you expect me to do about it?" Haley asked.

"Don't you have money left over from the lawsuit?" Zack inquired.

"Go to hell, Zack," Haley exploded. "That money is for college and you want me to use it to pay off your debt because you were stupid and decided to rob a bunch of banks?"

"Haley," Zack tried to tell her to calm down but his sister cut him off once again.

"Why the hell did you bet two thousand dollars?" she demanded. "Has the fact that you are the worst gambler in history not hit you yet? You've never won a single bet you've placed!"

"I know you're mad," he started to say.

"Mad?" Haley parroted. "I'm furious with you. Until now, I was staying out of this ridiculous feud between you and Anthony because I'm your sister but not anymore."

"What?" Zack asked.

"You're on your own this time, don't call me again," Haley demanded and slammed down the phone for emphasis.

Nathan came in the door a few hours earlier and stopped in his tracks when he saw his girlfriend sprawled on the couch, glaring at the ceiling.

"Hales?" he asked.

She looked at him and nodded in acknowledgement.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"No," she replied after a few seconds.

"What happened?" Nathan asked worriedly as he sat down beside her on the couch.

"My brother is an ass," Haley declared.

"What did Anthony do?" Nathan asked in confusion.

"I'm talking about Zack," she replied.

Nathan sighed. He knew there was bad blood between Anthony and Zack but Haley had stayed out of it, saying that it was between them but now she was calling Zack an ass. He knew something had happened that day to change her mind so suddenly.

"What happened?" he asked.

She filled him in on her phone conversation with Zack.

"Are you going to help him?" Nathan asked.

"I don't want to but I have to," Haley replied.

"Why?" Nathan asked.

"Because if I don't, he could get hurt again," Haley replied, remembering the last time Zack was late with paying a debt. Two thugs had cornered him in an alley and beaten him nearly to death. "He was on a respirator for four days. I can't let it happen again."

"How much will you have left over?" Nathan asked.

"School's already paid for. I did that when I first got the money. I'll have a thousand left over," Haley replied.

"Left over from what?" Anthony asked.

Haley and Nathan both turned to look at Haley's eldest brother who was looking at them both expectantly.

Haley sighed. "My brothers suck," she told herself.


	7. Chapter 7

Thanks to Christina for editing and those that reviewed.

**Chapter Seven**

"Unbelievable," Anthony grumbled as he sat down on the couch beside his sister. "I can't believe he actually asked you for money." 

"He did," Haley sighed as she watched the anger boiling in her eldest brother's eyes. 

"Will Zack ever learn?" he asked her seriously. 

"What?" Haley furrowed her brows, unsure of what he was actually asking her. 

"He's been in and out of jail for years and when he gets out, he seems to be handling everything fine but it's not long until he screws up again," Anthony said. 

"Dad says that we should help him because we're all he has so we bail him out every time but has it actually done Zack any good?" 

Haley bit her lip and then looked down at the floor as she realized what her brother was trying to tell her. "You don't want me to give him the money," she said. 

Anthony winced at the tone of his sister's voice. He knew that she thought he was being harsh but he didn't expect her to be so open about it. Haley always tried to listen to people without showing her own opinion. She truly tried to keep an open mind.

"I don't want to see him hurt any more than you do, but he's never going to save himself if we're there to catch him every time he falls," he tried to explain in a way that didn't make it sound like he was giving up on his brother.

He loved Zack, he really did but at the same time, he was so angry with him for everything he had put the entire family through. For a few months, Anthony wasn't on speaking terms with his sister Taylor or his father because they chose to side with Zack and believed that he was being too harsh. 

Haley had been understanding about his side at least. She had recognized that he was a cop, and he couldn't just let Zack get away with robbing that bank especially after one of his accomplices had shot a guard and that guard had almost died and would've left behind a wife and daughter. 

Anthony had begged the DA to be lenient with Zack and she had to a certain degree, but there was only so much that could be done to make things easier for him. She managed to get him sent to a minimum-security prison with a good reputation that was close to their father and sister in Miami.

"This time is different," Haley pointed out. "If his debt doesn't get paid and soon, Zack could get seriously hurt."

"I don't want that to happen," Anthony agreed with the point she was trying to make. 

"Then I'm going to withdraw the money from the account and give it to Zack next week," Haley said, putting her hand in his and giving it a tight squeeze. 

She raised her gaze to meet his as she said, "Whether you take me or not."

He nodded. "Can you get Nathan to take you?" he asked. 

"Probably," Haley replied, looking down at the ground to hide her disappointment.

"It's not that I don't want to take you," Anthony told her. 

"Then what's the problem?" Haley asked. 

"Zack won't want to see me."

Haley nodded in agreement. "You're right. It would do more harm than good." 

"Be careful," Anthony said. 

"Always," Haley smirked at him. 

He leaned over and hugged her before getting up and walking down the hall to his and Pam's bedroom.

Haley pulled out her cell phone and dialled Nathan's number. He had left a few minutes after Anthony had arrived to give them some privacy. 

"Hales?" Nathan answered on the fourth ring. 

"Hi," Haley greeted him. "I need a favour." 

Nathan had picked Haley up from her apartment building at eight in the morning the next week. They had driven to the bank and Haley had gotten a money order for the money she was giving to Zack. 

When Nathan had asked her why she hadn't just withdrawn cash, she had shook her head sadly and said, "Because I know my brother." She began to explain that she didn't trust Zack not to do something foolish like using the money for something else. 

They were now being led to the prison visitation area outside which consisted of a fenced area with various picnic tables. 

Haley crutched over to the one her brother sat at and sat down on the side opposite him. Nathan took a seat beside her, putting his arm around her waist. 

Zack looked over at him in a way similar to the way Anthony had eyed him when he first met him. He had dubbed it "the big brother look".

"This is my boyfriend," Haley told her brother and then looked at Nathan. "This is my other brother."

Zack extended his hand to Nathan which Nathan accepted and the two shook hands. 

"Zack James," he told him.

"Nathan Scott."

Zack looked more like Haley than Taylor or Anthony did. They shared the same auburn hair and hazel eyes that their mother had had. Anthony and Taylor were both blond. Taylor's eyes were also darker than any of her other siblings as she had inherited their father's chocolate coloured eyes.

When Nathan had met Anthony Hargrove, he had realized that Haley had inherited her biological father's complexion but everything else appeared to be from her mother. 

Haley handed him the money order for $2000.00. "Just give this to them and they can cash it whenever." 

She had chosen a money order instead of a cheque because the funds were required to be prepaid for the amount shown on it so it wouldn't bounce.

Zack studied the piece of paper and nodded. "Thank you," he said. 

"Never again, Zack," Haley told him seriously. "You're my brother and I love you but if you don't get help for your problem and then get into trouble again, you're on your own. I can't help you again if you refuse to help yourself." 

"They have meetings here," Zack announced. "I've been attending them for almost two weeks now."

Haley looked surprised for a second and then her mouth curved into a small smile. "Good for you," she said. 

"Can you do me another favour?" Zack asked. 

"Depends," Haley replied. 

"Will you please ask Anthony to answer the next time I call?" Zack asked. 

Haley cocked her head to the side. "Why?"

"I want to apologize to him. It's one of the steps," he replied. 

"I'll ask him to," Haley nodded.

"Do you think he'll listen?" Zack asked, looking worried. 

"If you're sincere this time," Haley replied. 

Zack turned to Nathan and eyed him. "So you're the boyfriend Taylor told me about," he said. 

"Yes," Nathan confirmed. 

He looked at Haley. "Is he treating you right?" he asked suspiciously. 

"Would I accept anything less?" Haley shot back. 

Zack smirked at his little sister. "Never," he mused. 


	8. Author's Note

Hey everyone,

I just wanted to let you know that I will not be able to update this weekend. My grandmother passed away Tuesday night and the funeral is on Saturday. Thanks for your continued support of the story. I'm glad you like it.

Kate


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